Just like in City’s famous title-clinching win last season, striker Sergio Aguero was the hero for the visitors on Monday night. Seven minutes after coming on for Samir Nasri, Aguero cut through the heart of the United defense before curling an unstoppable shot from a tight angle.

United, who grabbed an equalizer 20 minutes earlier on a Vincent Kompany own goal, generated very little offense after Aguero’s remarkable individual effort. The final minutes of Monday’s match were filled with more yellow cards and shoving matches than goal-scoring chances for the Red Devils.

The City win shrinks United’s lead on top of the Premier League table down to 12 points with seven matches to play. Although City remain mathematically in the race for the title, Monday’s win was more about bragging rights and reclaiming a seven-point lead over third-place Chelsea, who City play Saturday in a FA Cup semifinal.

A 56th-minute penalty conversion from Roma’s Francesco Totti erased an early golazo from Lazio midfielder Hernanes, keeping the separation between the rival European contenders at three points.

Hernanes played both the hero and the villain for 10-man Lazio during Monday’s night’s draw. After hitting a long-range effort into the corner of Maarten Steklenburg’s net in the 16th minute, the Brazilian midfielder found himself on the wrong end of two second-half penalties. He skied a penalty try four minutes into the second half and brought down Miralem Pjanic in the box seven minutes later.

Totti, who was denied by Lazio goalkeeper Federico Marchetti several times in the match, calmly tucked his penalty into the bottom corner to tie it up.

Despite falling behind a man in the 69th minute, Lazio rebounded from the equalizer and took the attack to Roma. Hernanes came close to redeeming himself with a stoppage-time assist, but Michaël Ciani’s header flew left of Steklenburg’s goal.

The point from the draw moves Lazio up to a Europa League-qualifying fifth place in the Serie A table. Roma remains in seventh place with 48 points.

YANKEE STADIUM TO HOST CHELSEA-CITY, SPAIN-IRELAND

Chelsea and Manchester City will end their 2012-13 campaigns with a friendly doubleheader in the United States, the clubs announced Monday.

New York’s Yankee Stadium, which first hosted soccer during the 2012 World Football Challenge, will host the two English giants on May 25, two days after the clubs meet in a previously scheduled match at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.

Chelsea played in the first soccer match at Yankee Stadium last summer, a 1-1 draw with Paris Saint-Germain.

“We received sensational support in what was a sea of blue fans inside and outside the stadium that day,” Chelsea chief executive Ron Gourlay said. “Spending the week in St. Louis and New York also provides a great opportunity for the club to reconnect with our U.S. fans before we head to Asia in July for preseason.”

In addition to hosting the 2011-12 Champions League and Premier League winners, Yankee Stadium will also host Euro 2012 winners Spain.

Spain, who do not have a competitive match scheduled until September, will take on Ireland on June 11. The two sides last met in a Euro group stage match last summer, which Spain won 4-0 en route to their third straight major championship.

QUICK KICKS

The FA has announced that it has found no proof of alleged racial chants towards Rio and Anton Ferdinand during England’s 8-0 win at San Marino last month. (REPORT)

PSG defenders Alex and Thiago Silva, who both missed Saturday’s 2-0 win over Stade Rennes, have been included in the club’s roster for Wednesday’s UCL quarterfinal match at Barcelona. (REPORT)

Jose Mourinho confirmed Pepe as doubtful for Real Madrid’s quarterfinal match at Galatasaray after the defender suffered an injury during Monday training. (REPORT)

Ajax goalkeeper Kenneth Vermeer will miss a crucial weekend match against PSV after he received a two-match ban following his red card during the league leaders’ 4-0 win over Heracles. (REPORT)

A Swedish league match between Djurgarden and Mjallby was abandoned on Monday after Mjallby defender Gbenga Arokoyo was hit in the stomach by a pear thrown by a Djurgarden fan. (REPORT)

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What do you think of these reports? How do you think the Manchester Derby result will affect the end of United and City’s seasons? See Lazio or Roma qualifying for Europe next season? Excited about a second City-Chelsea match and a Spain friendly in the States?

18 Responses to Monday Evening Ticker: Late Aguero goal earns City a win at United; Roma, Lazio share honors; and more

I dont think the Derby will have any affect on City or United’s seasons. The title is all but wrapped up already and City have failed to show up so many times I don’t see why they would consistently perform for the remainder.

Well they are 2-1-3 (W-D-L) in all comps since their CL exit, with the 2 W’s both 1-0’s against Reading(H) & Sunderland(A)…
United’s final 7 games are Stoke(A), West Ham(A), Aston Villa(H), Arsenal(A), Chelsea(H), Swansea(H), and West Brom(A).
Considering the problems United are having right now, it’s not far fetched to think they might drop games to away to Arsenal and home to Chelsea, especially with both teams needing every last point in the race for the Top 4.
All it would take then is one game dropped to one of the relegation battling teams (Stoke or Villa) and one game dropped to a team with nothing to play for except the role of spoiler (West Ham/Swansea/West Brom), similar to the Everton game near the end of last year.
Of course, City would have to win out (7-0) and make up the +8 United currently hold in GD. But if the scenario played out with United dropping 12 pts and City dropping 0, City would almost certainly have to overtake Utd’s current GD advantage.
It’s definitely unlikely, but this result at the derby means it isn’t completely impossible yet…

whats the point of having sss if your not gonna bring top teams and try to fill it up. Why are they playing a baseball stadium. It wouldve been cool to see packed house at RBA. I hope to never see a soccer at Dodger stadium. Its the colessium rose bowl or HDC for us.

The only thing I don’t like about this post is that there is not a single message about Michael Bradley. Why? He is the only yank there. I want to hear how he is doing in each and every game. Also, the dude started…why is this not mentioned. Give me MORE please!

The only thing I don’t like about this post is that there is not a single message about Michael Bradley. Why? He is the only yank there. I want to hear how he is doing in each and every game. Also, the dude started…why is this not mentioned. Give me MORE please!

bradley was good in that game; glad he started. as others noted, it looked like his job was to play very conservatively, and transition the ball from defense to attack (which he does very well). actually don’t think i saw an incomplete pass from him the whole game.

also, totti’s penalties are so freaking good. have seen him hit so many that go in right behind the post, where there’s no way a keeper can get to it. is there a better pk taker? lampard’s definitely consistent, but his specialty is in knowing where the keeper will go.